COSTS AND WAGES

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20726, 9 February 1939, Page 3

COSTS AND WAGES

STATEMENT BY MINISTER COMPARISON WITH AUSTRALIA (By Telegraph—Press Association) WELLINGTON, Wednesday A comparison of price indices in New Zealand and Australia was made by the Minister of Industries and Commerce, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, in a statement to-day when commenting on reports that retail prices were continuing to rise and that prices of certain commodities were likely to be advanced. Such statements, the Minister said, were made by people who apparently took no effort to base their remarks on actual fads. The December issue of the Abstract of Statistics showed a drop of to per cent in the grocciw group index number from Nov.-inner. 1937, to November, lids. In the same period the index for food and groceries in Australia rose to s;.i to 882 compare.i will the New Xofifriiid figure fur all foods, which fell from 1002 to Tak ng the latest avadible Australian wage statistics, the rise to Ail—tralian workers between 1935 and June, 1935, was only 10.2 per cent

compared with New Zealand’s 25.2 | per cent. 1 r iin the basis of "real wages and r coiiipari l • « the increases in all groups. U Hie retail price indices of the average Australians show that the income had advanced in that period by 3.0 per i cm! ..ml for New Zealanders by 10.3 Mr r-uiiivan sad lII* tlPur-s proved - conciiisi'ely that prices hail now j reached a degree of eomparalite i, stability and had by no means o'er- ; „ taken the \*.ge increases.

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